If
He Dies He Dies - If He Dies He Dies - Friction Records
2005
6 Songs
Running Time: 25:38
Being from Muskegon, MI, you wouldn't
think there'd be anything much to do for enjoyment...at
all. Thankfully, If He Dies He Dies has taken this
surplus of free time and turned their thoughts toward music.
The quartet begins their debut with 'Police Raid Neverland',
which spot-welds the fractured fretwork of Quicksand to
empassioned hardcore screams, courtesy of guitarist/vocalist
Brent. Truly, that formula's been tried (too many times)
before, but when it's done so convincingly as done by If
He Dies..., it's hard not to respect them for conviction
alone. 'The Last Layer Is Paper Thin' introduces sporadic
melodic vocals, and while they do well to provide the song
some sense of dynamic, they're mixed a bit too far back
to really reach out and take hold. At times, If He Dies... comes
off like one could imagine The End sounding, were
they a bit more concerned with tossing a groove into the
song now and again. If He Dies He Dies's sound is
firmly rooted in the tech-core scene, but any band in that
realm who can pull off the seven-minute 'The Last Layer
Is Paper Thin', and still make it an interesting listen
has something worthy in the way of potential. Worry not,
true music fans, for the dreaded "fashioncore" tag is miles
away from anything this band produces. After the abbreviated
instrumental interlude that is 'Nitro', the two songs that
won me over to this band make an appearance, in the form
of 'Hammer Of The Gods' and 'Rise Doom Claw'. The former
pushes the duality of If He Dies He Dies to the
forefront, with both crushing grooves and washes of melody,
while 'Rise Doom Claw' burns with flash-paper intensity,
scattering riffs across the landscape of your mind like
fires on Devil's Night. When album closer 'The Count' began,
I have to confess being a bit unsure. Once again, clean
vocals had found their way so noticeably into the song
that they couldn't be ignored, mixed low though they were.
Now, it's not that I have a problem with clean vocals at
all, and they would seem to work well in the spaces they
occupy with this band. The dilemma is in both the mix,
and in Brent not sounding completely confident when it
comes to dropping the "I gargle with broken glass" tone
used through the majority of the disc. That being said,
the song does draw you in, and works as an exit point,
letting you ride out on waves of fluid leadwork as opposed
to breakdown-ing you into submission, as is the case with
so much of the hardcore scene today.
At just under the half-hour mark, If He Dies He Dies has crafted
an album of solid songs which capture the attention of the
listener without becoming overbearing. Having seen this band
perform, I can attest to the power of their live show, which
is more metal in delivery than anything Death By Stereo or
anyone on Equal Vision Records has attempted (and badly at
that). They have the songs, they have the fire. Now, with the
next album, let's see if they have the persistence. I, for
one, fucking hope so.
www.ifhedies.net |
